MILWAUKEE, WI — A 42-year-old Milwaukee man is recovering from second-degree burns to his face after officials said he was the victim of a hate crime over the weekend. Authorities say it happened Friday around 8:30 p.m. at the corner of 13th Street and Cleveland Avenue in Milwaukee.
During a press conference on Sunday, Mahud Villalaz, 42, said he had parked his car near the Chef Paz restaurant Friday when he was approached by a man who started to shout at him over where he parked his car. Seeing the man’s frustration, Villalaz said he moved his car down the street to prevent another confrontation, but it did not work.
Villalaz, who is Hispanic, said he originally ignored the man as he was walking toward the restaurant, but a confrontation quickly escalated.
How to Help
“Help my Brother Mahud victim of another hate crime.” The family of Mahud Villalaz is raising money to help with medical expenses incurred during the treatment of an acid attack.
According to his sister Priscilla Villalaz, who set up a GoFundMe account to help cover medical expenses as a result of the acid attack, the man went up to Villalaz, and began to shout racially-charged statements at him. ”
During a press conference held Sunday, Villalaz said he responded to the man, saying, “people come here from other countries for a better life. The only people who have been here longer than anyone else are the Native Americans.”
Villalaz’ sister said the man pulled a bottle out of a bag and threw acid at his face. Villalaz said the acid started to burn his skin “really bad.” He screamed for help, and ran into the restaurant to wash his face.
The damage was done. According to reports, Villalaz suffered second-degree burns on the left side of his face.
Police in Milwaukee say they’ve arrested the suspect, a 61-year-old man. They have not publicly identified him yet. The man is in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail and is awaiting formal charging in court.
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Milwaukee Alderman Jose Perez said in a statement that he expects the suspect to be charged with a hate crime.
“This was senseless violence and it needs to stop. We as a community need to come together to work through our differences and learn to respect one another and diffuse (sic) conflict,” Perez said in a statement. “We as a community are encouraged that police are investigating this attack as a hate crime and have been ensured that all hate crime enhancers are added to the charges.”
As of Monday morning, 225 donors have raised nearly $20,000 in funds through the GoFundMe campaign established to help Villalaz cover the expenses related to the attack.
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